MFA Financial (NYSE:MFA) Sets New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• MFA Financial shares hit a new 52-week low, falling to $8.38 before last trading at $8.415, below the 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the stock has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $10.46, while Weiss Ratings downgraded it to “Sell.”
• Institutional investors own 65.28% of MFA Financial, with major holders including BlackRock; several funds recently increased stakes or initiated new positions.

Shares of MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE:MFA - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $8.38 and last traded at $8.4150, with a volume of 1562538 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $8.46.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on MFA. William Blair set a $11.00 price objective on shares of MFA Financial in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $10.00 price target on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of MFA Financial from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday. Citizens Jmp lowered their price objective on shares of MFA Financial from $11.50 to $11.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "market outperform" rating on shares of MFA Financial in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $10.46.

MFA Financial Trading Down 0.5%

The company has a market cap of $850.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.41 and a beta of 1.41. The business has a fifty day moving average of $9.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.49.

Institutional Trading of MFA Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of MFA Financial by 245.2% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 777,025 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $7,444,000 after purchasing an additional 551,927 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of MFA Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $3,589,000. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in shares of MFA Financial by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 9,459,988 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $91,667,000 after purchasing an additional 271,707 shares during the last quarter. Simplify Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of MFA Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $1,885,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new stake in MFA Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,676,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.28% of the company's stock.

MFA Financial Company Profile

MFA Financial, Inc is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses primarily on residential mortgage assets. The company invests in and manages a portfolio that may include agency and non-agency mortgage-backed securities, residential whole loans, mortgage servicing rights and other residential credit investments.

MFA's investment activities are designed to provide exposure to the U.S. residential housing and mortgage markets. Through its affiliated businesses, the company also participates in residential lending, including financing for single-family rental properties and residential real estate investors.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in New York City, MFA Financial has operated as a publicly traded mortgage REIT since its initial public offering in 1998.

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